SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
PRINCIPAL MECHANICAL ENGINEER (STARSHIP)
SpaceX is looking for a Principal Mechanical Engineer to help build the infrastructure behind power generation and supercompute at Starbase. You will own mechanical scope from concept through design, fabrication, construction, and commissioning. The work can span power generation, fluid and cooling systems, and the structures and equipment that production depends on. You will set the technical direction, work across engineering, construction, and operations, and see your decisions show up in hardware that has to perform in the field.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop design concepts from a clean sheet and size infrastructure systems based on operational loads, site conditions, and how the facility will actually run
- Collaborate with peers across disciplines to develop designs that balance cost, schedule, reliability, and capability
- Create detailed designs and generate CAD models for components, assemblies, and integration into the larger site
- Build analysis models to assess your designs in detail and confirm they meet the needs of the system
- Apply first-order hand calculations and empirical formulas to assess and iterate on your designs rapidly
- Validate your designs through development hardware, mockups, or first articles, and test critical joints, components, and design elements
- Support testing and commissioning of subsystems and full installations
- Partner with construction, build engineers, and technicians to improve your designs
- Support installation of your hardware in the field, witness your designs being built and brought online, and see them go into service
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
- 7+ years of experience with mechanical design and analysis
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience designing, analyzing, building, and testing high performance, mechanical systems
- Experience working within interdisciplinary teams to develop solutions to challenging and complex problems
- Experience with FEA or multiphysics simulation package (e.g. NASTRAN, ABAQUS, ANSYS)
- Experience designing and executing qualification testing
- Strong understanding of mechanical first principles and structural analysis methodologies
- Proficiency in selecting materials and manufacturing methods for mechanical components
- Analytical/scientific programming experience (i.e. Python, Matlab, Excel)
- Self-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be available to work extended hours and weekends when needed based on site operational needs; flexibility required
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [email protected].
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
- 7+ years of experience with mechanical design and analysis
- Experience designing, analyzing, building, and testing high-performance mechanical systems
- Experience working on interdisciplinary engineering teams
- Experience with FEA or multiphysics simulation packages such as NASTRAN, ABAQUS, or ANSYS
- Experience designing and executing qualification testing
- Strong understanding of mechanical first principles and structural analysis methodologies
- Proficiency selecting materials and manufacturing methods for mechanical components
- Analytical or scientific programming experience with Python, MATLAB, or Excel
- Eligibility to meet ITAR requirements through U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, refugee or asylee status, or required Department of State authorizations
- Availability to work extended hours and weekends when required by site operations
SpaceX Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about SpaceX and has not been reviewed or approved by SpaceX.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants are a core part of total compensation, with periodic company-run tender offers that create liquidity before any public listing. These mechanisms can make the equity component feel materially valuable in practice.
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Healthcare Strength — The package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with on-site clinics and health resources at major sites. This breadth of coverage is presented as a strong element of the offering.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Major locations feature on-site amenities such as fitness facilities, food/coffee, clinics, and other conveniences. These lifestyle perks enhance day-to-day value alongside cash and equity.
SpaceX Insights
What We Do
SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary. SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA.
